Truss.



Patented Oct. I6, |900.

W. S. MILLER.

T B U S S.

(Application filed June' 1 1, 1900.)

(No Mendel.)

m: Nonnls Pinus cn, Puomuwo., WASHINGTON, n. c4

@site STATES ATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. MILLER, OF MARYVILL l, MISSOURI.

TRUSS.,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,685, dated October16, 1900.

Application filed June 11, 1900.

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Maryville, in the county of Nodaway and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful 'lruss-Supporter, of which the followingis a specification.

My present invention relates to a novel truss-supporter designed withspecial reference to maintaining the proper position of the truss,truss-pads, or balls while permitting free movement of the body of thewearer.

With those forms of trusses with which I am familiar it is exceedinglydifficult and, in fact, practically impossible to move the body freely,particularly in assuming a stooping posture, without causing the trussto be drawn away from the region of the injury, and thereby destroyingthe efficiency of the device.

The object of the invention, considered somewhat specifically, is toprovide a body belt or band at a point above the truss, preferablyacross the chest, and the establishment of a connection between thebody-belt and the truss which will cause the truss and its surgicalappliance to be drawn down and retained in continued Contact with therupture when the bodyis moved--as,for instance, in the act of stoopingor bending forward as well as during the assumption of various otherpostures.

To this end the invention consists in positioning the truss around thehips as desired and the body-band upon the body of the wearer under thearms and in connecting the truss-pads or truss with the lower ends of apair of straps which pass between the legs and are brought up behind theback and over the shoulders to have their ends connected with thebody-band. The straps are made elastic through a portion of their extentand have loose running connections with the truss and body-band at theback, so that they will slide freely upon the truss and band when thebody is moved and will cause the truss and its surgical appliances to bedrawn down and retained in contact with the injury when the upperportion of the body or shoulders of the wearer are bent in a forwarddirection,thereby producing a pull upon the upper end of the straps,which in an obvious manner will exberal No. 19,922. tNo model.)

ert a downward pull upon the truss to retain the truss pads or balls ineffective Contact with the patient.

The invention further consists in the details of construction andarrangement hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and succinctly defined in the appended claims.

In said drawings, Figures land 2 are front and rear views of a personand illustrating the application of my truss-support, and Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the complete device.

Referring to the numerals of reference employed to designatecorresponding parts in the several views, l indicates a truss, which maybe of any design or pattern selected and Worn by the patient, securedaround the hips, so that the surgical appliances thereof are properlypositioned to the injury in the manner and for the purpose wellunderstood in the art. To the lower ends or edge of the truss pads orballs or to the truss are conneoted a pair of narrow inelastictruss-retaining straps 4 of some soft non-abrasive material, whichstraps are passed under the body between the legs, as illustrated inFig. l of the drawings, and are carried up behind the back and passedthrough loops 5 at the back of the truss to have running engagement withthe latter. The upper ends of the straps 4, above the truss l, arebuckled or otherwise adj ustably attached to shoulder-straps 6, as bybuckles 7. The shoulder-straps 6 are preferably of some slightly-elasticmaterialas, for instance, rubber fabric-and are passed loosely throughloops 8, secured at the back of a body band or belt 9, and are thenpassed over the shoulders and provided with terminal loops l0, throughwhich the bodyband 9 extends at the front-as, for instance, upon thechest of the wearer. The bodyband 9 is preferably of some soft inelasticmaterial-as, for instance, chamois-skin or fabric-and is intended to beadjustably itted upon the body by the connection between the buckle l1and the usual apertures oppo-` site end of the band.

It will now be seen that the body may be moved in any direction withoutdisturbing the effective position of the truss, inasmuch as the supporting-straps 4 and 6 are connected at the opposite ends to the trussand body- IOO band at the front, but have running connection with thetruss and the body-band` behind. Obviously any forward stoo pin gmovement which tends to collapse the stomach, and thereby cause thetruss or truss-pads to be dislocated under ordinary circumstances, will,when my device is used, cause the upper end of the shoulder-straps to bedrawn down, which will exert a downward pull upon the truss to preventthe latter from riding up. I desire it to be understood, however, thatvarious forms of trusses, body-bands, or straps may be employed orvarious modes of attachment of the device may be adopted withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, which in its broadest aspectcomprehends a truss and a body-band in combination with straps connectedat their opposite ends to the truss and band and passed around the backof the wearer to have running engagement with retaining deviceswhichserve to guide the straps in their movements. I therefore reserve theright to eiiect such changes, modifications, and variations in theconstruction and arrangement of my device as may fall properly withinthe scope of the protection prayed.

What I claim is- 1. The combination with a truss, ofa pair oftruss-retaining straps connected to the truss and designed to be passedunder the body of the wearer, said straps having running engagement withthe truss at irs back, a' body-band designed to encircle the body of thewearer above the truss, and a pair of shoulder-straps connected at oneend to the truss-retaining straps at a point above the truss, havingrunning engagement with the back of the body-band and having theiropposite ends engaged by the body-band at the front to cause a downwardpull to be exerted upon the truss when the upper ends of theshoulder-straps are drawn downwardly by the forward bending of the bodyof the wearer.

2. The combination with a truss, of a pair of truss-retaining strapsconnected to the truss and designed to be passed under the body of thewearer, loops upon the truss at the back thereof for the reception ofthe trussretaining straps, a body-band designed to env circle the bodyof the wearer above the truss and provided with loops at the back, and a`pair of shoulder-straps connected at one end l wearer, loops upon thetruss at the back thereof', said truss-retaining straps being passedloosely through the loops ofthe truss, a body- `band designed toencircle the body of the wearer above the truss and provided with loopsat the back, and a pair of elastic shoulder-straps connected at one endto the trussretaining straps at a point above the truss, passed looselythrough the loops at the back of the body-band and provided `withterminal loops engaged by said body-band at the front to causea downwardpull to belexerted upon the truss when the upper ends of1 theshoulderstraps are drawn downwardly by the forward bending of the bodyof the wearer.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM S. MILLER.

